Opinion

Empowerment: Pathway to Emerging a Hero

Published

6 years ago

October 26, 2019

Eric

By Tolulope A. Adegoke

“Your greatest self has been waiting your whole life;

don’t make it wait any longer.” – Dr. Steve Maraboli

“(EMP)loy POWER for incre(MENT)= EMPOWERMENT!”

-Tolulope A. Adegoke

You are far greater than you have ever imagined or ever dreamed of being. And no matter what you are experiencing in your life right now, trust that all is good and unfolding in your best interest. It may not look pretty, but it is exactly what you need to learn for you to grow into the person you have been destined to become. Everything occurring in your life has been perfectly orchestrated to inspire your maximal evolution as human being and bring you into your true power. Learn from people, learn from your conscience, and learn from life – this, will empower you and take you to where you are meant to go. Truly, everything has your highest interests in mind, because everything (that is, both good and bad) are working together for your good- Romans 12:2 reveals that: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28 further reveals that: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Within this write up, you will discover many answers to life’s most important questions. I pray you find many truths and gain much insight into the way the world, the people and the Word works, and how to succeed with and within it. Ultimately, the answers you are seeking already lie deep within your heart. There is nowhere else to look. Yes, my words may prompt openings for you and serve to help you remember what you already know at your core. But do not doubt that there is, a treasure trove of wisdom, power, and love slumbering within you-waiting to be awakened by your most courageous part. Isn’t that incredibly inspiring to know? You already are everything you have always wanted to become. You simply need to do the inner work required to remove the blocks that have been covering- and denying-your original (divine) nature.

What then is EMPOWERMENT? How can you maximize it for your desired change of levels?

The word EMPOWERMENT is the combination of three cogent words as stated here: EMPloy POWER for increMENT – which simply means to Employ POWER for Increments (that is, to be MORE). To Employ means to engage or make use of something, while POWER equals to ABILITY (to do). Increment is a degree by which something is made larger or greater. It could also be said to be ‘the action or process of INCREASING especially in quantity or value. It is something gained or added. We can therefore, say that EMPOWERMENT is the Engagement of the Ability (that is, what it takes) or techniques to Increase in value or quantity.

EMPOWERMENT is the intentional act of yielding to a course, for a cause to being better or transformed from zero to HERO, from nobody to Somebody, from nothing to something, from insignificance to Significance, from raw to refined, from talents into Skills, from mere Skills into Value, and from Values to REWARDS!

Empowerment is the awakening of the Giant that lies within us as individuals for the deliveries of possibilities. It is an infinite exercise of working tenaciously to become better at something or to become a Master, by intentionally subjecting one’s self to learning at the feet of Masters the ‘HOW’ to becoming the ‘WHAT’ or the THAT or ‘WHO’? To become ‘WHO’, then you must understand the ‘HOW’?

We must understand that Learning has its ‘Curves’ and ‘Costs’. The Costs of EMPOWERMENT are:

Discipline
Working-Inputs
Sacrifice
Execution
Gratitude

Discipline: This is the first rule of Empowerment (Learning). We find so much human errors in our societies today due to lack of DISCIPLINE. Discipline means depriving one’s self of his or her comfort (zones) by passing through what is required for the next phase in life in order to become better and greater at something or become a leading example in a specific area of life. There is no great man in life who is truly great that has not adopted discipline as a lifestyle. Discipline means subjecting one’s self to authentic obedience at feet of an instructor or mentor or instructions or rules.

Here, you are under instructions or tutelages set by conscience or by (man)-whatever that is learned must be adopted as a lifestyle to be more or become greater. There are values and virtues that are built either consciously and unconsciously, physically and spiritually during this processes. Among others, the following below are the pillars of Discipline:

Time Consciousness & Management
Appreciating the Costs of Values
Understanding Price-tag on Values
Humility
The Power of Quietness or Silence (To listen swiftly and talkless and think smart
Sleepless
Reading and Studying
Meditation
Financial Management (Saving More)
Embracing the Company Mentality (Shunning the ‘Crowd’ Mentality): Crowd means Everybody, while the word Company means just a selected few who aligns with your Purpose, and at the same time maximizes your effects.

Working-Input (Within): This simply means Working Within the boundaries of Knowledge by Wisdom for depth in Understanding. Another word for it is Input. In the process of learning or empowerment, there is usually a curve, where you ultimately surrender what you ‘think you know’ for things you need to know to be soaked into your being. The more you accumulate knowledge, the more soaked you get. It is a process of chasing after Knowledge for Excellence, so as to be chased by Success in return at every point of execution or delivery (that is, working-out what you have learned or acquired. This also a point of yearning after ‘Clarity’ which is one of the DNAs of MASTERY or ‘Understanding’. This is the process of studying and meditating on it for deeper REVELATIONS and at the same time to removing the ‘blocks’ that have been covering- and denying-your original (divine) nature, thereby rediscovering your authentic self- it is Revelation that gives Understanding.

If you do not want your life to end in ‘RED’ (danger), you must READ and STUDY! Revelation comes first before ELEVATION! Knowledge is LIGHT, and LIGHT is LIFE!

There are many people with stature, volume and age, yet lack LIGHT (Understanding)…It is light that separates a dullard from a GENIUS! It is Light that separates a pupil from the Master. The light you carry matters in life – it is what determines your levels in reality, it determines your level of Command in core aspects of life, being that you have gained Mastery, you have become a MASTER!

Light is CLARITY, it is MASTERY (and this is the state of the authentic). This is the time to avoid any pattern of distraction so as to enjoy and engage the light that you are about access from this write-up for Peak Performances to deliver possibilities in People, Corporates and Nations at large.

Relentless Commitment to Daily Growth is key for global relevance. I refer to it as the White-Belt Mentality – this is when you Write on a journal daily, Meditate, Focus, Reflect, Ponder, and Handcraft your days intentionally for positive out-comes. If Knowledge is POWER, then learning is your Super-Power! Knowledge isn’t just power as people say, it is the application of Knowledge that guarantees profit! Empowerment improves you enough to be irresistibly NEEDED, that is, when you are loaded with relevant contents that solves problems, you will be a force to reckon with, even if they do not like you as a person, but the solutions you carry will make you attractive enough to be their only CHANCE of survival!

The fact is, anybody can be Empowered; in fact, everybody needs EMPOWERMENT – the more we learn, the more fit we are to Lead others and EARN. Any zero can become a HERO, and any HERO can become a greater HERO! That is why great are not relenting in being better to be greater – they all want to be MORE – they are not satisfied with little, they are expanding so that the people under them can become more and better as well (that’s why their brands of solutions are simplified, accessible and affordable).

The day you become satisfied with little is the day you start becoming little! Never settle for convenience over destiny! A lot of destinies are hanging on your shoulders for survival; if you refuse to dare for more, it means that you are only living for yourself alone – there are destinies attached to your values, virtues and presence on Earth! To be consistently more, you need to seek KNOWLEDGE per time regardless of your age or level of attainment in life. That is why you have the Company of people you keep who are wired to charge or spur you up to being better and as well maximize your effect. We also need to maximize our connection with the internet, a wise user of a computer puts his or her system on Auto-Update, why? to get updated, upgraded with the latest versions of software online for maximum outputs on the computer and efficient deliveries of services through it. As human beings, we get upgraded, updated by Knowledge through Wisdom for Understanding and maximum deliveries so as not to be stuck in yesterday! The Knowledge or anointing of yesterday is not enough for today! Today is today! What you have acquired today with sweat may become obsolete tomorrow if you fail or refuse to upgrade to the latest version of thoughts, reasoning, and know-how.

Sacrifice: This is definitely not a strange word to a majority across the world, especially the great minds who are great mines. Sacrifice simply means ‘to surrender what you have in order to secure or receive what you NEED! It means surrendering WHAT you are so as to become WHO you desire to become! It also means surrendering WHAT you are in order to become WHO you desire to be! It simply means surrendering where you are so as to arrive at WHERE you desire or need to be. Therefore, sacrifice means letting-go of your WANTS in order to have your NEEDS met! Children (little minds) gives offerings, while Kings (great minds) offers SACRIFICES! We give up ‘WHAT’ we WANT when we NEED POWER! Power is a necessity in this journey of life in order to fulfil destiny or divine purpose. For every Sacrifice, there is a Scar (this Scar connotes the Costs of the Sacrifice). The scar is what decorates your being, it tells your stories in your glory. I would say that, ‘Do not envy Success…kindly envy SACRIFICE! The volume of Sacrifice determines where you would surface (that is, appear), either at the Peak or beneath. Sacrifice is the covenant requirement for every next level of greatness. It cracks the code for each levels of greatness and unravels mysteries, it shakes the Heavens and causes Divinity to intervene in Humanity!

Execution: This simply means ‘To Work-It-Out! It is the process of giving birth to the Knowledge acquired through the volume of light (Understanding) that we carry or have received. This is the Out-put of what has been Put-into you over time (that is, engaging the Knowledge which you have been soaked with). This is where Knowledge turns into formulas through Understanding (Light) by Wisdom. This, is where you make it happen on the field called REALITY…We gather Ability through Knowledge, and we transform it into REALITY based on the level of Understanding which we have or carry, then profit from it by Wisdom! When life tells you NO! Ask yourself, What AM I capable of? Winners does not quit or make excuses, Winners only EXECUTE continuously till they get it right! The likes of Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gate among others had their share of trying moments, their moments of pain which they burned as fuel to acquire the gains we all celebrate today. These ones didn’t give up on the Light they carry or carried, rather, they illuminated or keep illuminating the world by continuous practices. Though, they may have failed or fail severally, but there is always a Bounce-Back-Power for every true Winner, which is fostered by Strong-Will or DETERMINATION.

Majority across the world are not usually interested in the ‘HOW’ (Process), but in the ‘WHAT’ (Results or happenings). For example, WHAT happened? WHAT did he/she do? WHAT did he say? WHAT did he give? WHAT did or does he/she has to offer? etc., because majority are only interested What has been or is achieved, they are not interested in knowing the HOW (PROCESSES or Cost) of what it took or takes to be WHAT or WHO. Only a few with great depth would ask ‘HOW’ he/she made it, or HOW he won the Election…the steps he took, the people he aligned with, the Sacrifices he offered, the Disciplines he adopted as lifestyle, the ‘helps’ rendered that attracted divine assistance or intervention, the favors he requested, the sleepless nights, the hours of Meditation, his Think-tanks (technocrats).

Small people wants summaries, and only want to live on survival, they do not have time to ‘go and grow through’ the processes of becoming…they only want their cakes NOW, just like ESAU in the Holy Bible who sold his birth-right because he was hungry and in a haste just to satisfy his belly without bothering to have an understanding of what it would cost him to lose the treasure that lies with his being!

The point of execution is always an opportunity to show-case what you have been cooking through the tool of Knowledge. It is an opportunity to show-off and show up! It is an opportunity to tell the world that I AM HERE-though, I have been here, but it has been behind the scene. Cooking is the right application of HEAT! It is therefore time to serve your MEAL (Products or Solutions) to the world!

Execution is the process of giving birth to what was conceived in the process of learning, just like a pregnant woman who has been pregnant; it is natural to expect her to deliver after nine months of carrying the fetus (baby) in her womb. The same thing goes to you and I; it is time for us to deliver the future, because it lies within us. Ideas are FUTURE conceived within us, packaged as information, encrypted in the Knowledge that man absorbs to deliver his generation at every point of need during execution. Being pregnant is not enough, delivery is a must! The same goes to learning; being soaked with Knowledge is not enough, but Execution (putting it into good use) is what is expected of all true learners. The Holy Book reveals “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19). This means that, everything, everyone is waiting for you to show up and deliver the FUTURE (Treasures or Solutions) that lies within you as a deliverer, which has been deposited in you for your generation(s). If you do not show up (Manifest), your generation may be bounded or be in bondage for years; just like Moses (a Jew) who grew up in Pharaoh’s Palace (in Egypt); he assimilated the doctrines, he was soaked in the Egyptians traditions (knowledge) for years, but after so many years that the Israelites had been in bondage, God called Moses at the age of 70 (years) to deliver his people (the Israelites) with the Light which had been deposited into him for years – all this while, before Moses showed-up for the Israelites, they were all in the captivity of the Egyptians. So, if you do not show up (that is, birth the Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding of the Skills, Values, Virtues that you have been soaked with and nursing over the years), you might be holding your generation(s) to ransom! You may not get it right at first, be free to try again, again and again; there will be a day that you will get it right and gain from the rewards that comes with it (through the pains which you have burned as fuel through determination and strong-will) Get up, go to work and work it out! Destinies are waiting on you; your generation is waiting for you to show up! Take responsibility like David took against Goliath!

The anointing upon your life isn’t just a blessing, but responsibility on your shoulders to birthing solutions that will deliver you generation, even the ones yet unborn. Therefore, instead of being a container of blessings, I charge you now to be a channel, so that these solutions can flow through you unto others. Execute and Excel!

Gratitude: This is a state of the authentic, it is a state of bliss, it is a natural force or lifestyle that preserves, perfects our outputs(efforts) and blessings. Gratitude means Gr(eat)ATTITUDE which means- an attitude that is exclusive to only GREAT Minds who have the depth to look back at what they were and the Mighty hands that picked them up to arrive at where they are at the moment. Small minds make small People-Small people are not usually grateful, they complain about everything, they don’t have clear minds and are not free in spirit. Gratitude is an attitude that when adopted as lifestyle takes us to great altitudes in life. The first step of GRATITUDE is- ACKNOWLEDGING The Maker, God Almighty in all things. Secondly, CELEBRATING your teachers or mentors who have invested time and energy to impart you with the Light (Understanding) that they carry. Thirdly, Celebrate and Appreciate your Supporters (they believed in you when others couldn’t, even when you thought you couldn’t, these ones inspired you could, then you did it! Lastly, Celebrate Yourself for being dedicated and tenacious toward the achievement of Success. Take a break, travel, rest well, eat well, have fun, then go back to study for the next phase or level of Success. Re-engage the formulas for Success, that is, the Costs of Empowerment again and again to be More and Greater and Better!

Re-examine your life

It is very important that you know and understand where and why you need improvement, then go after relevant Knowledge that treats or solves your weak areas…An unexamined life is not worth living! A dis-empowered life will remain an imprisoned life-it is not worth living. Maximize every condition you go through to be better and for the well-being of Mankind. Be responsible, even in tough-times…never lose your head in tough times, never lose your heart at all times. Empowerment builds your VISION.

VISION is powered by the following sights:

Eye-sights
Insights
Hind-sights
Fore-sights
Mind-sights

VISION enlightens and opens you up to illuminate Mankind, thereby translating them into the True light from darkness. You are an embodiment of treasures/solutions; I charge you to UNLEASH! I charge you to Man-i–fest! Any determined zero can become The HERO! I trust that this write up in has briefly explained the ‘HOW’ to you with relevant examples towards becoming POSSIBLE where you have been described IMPOSSIBLE! you must therefore read, study and follow the teachings in it to the end. You will become an ABILITY on motion in the delivery of possibilities (of) Peoples, Corporates and Nations! It is your vision(s) that determines the extent or size(s) of your mission. Friends, we are on a mission, I encourage you to power your vision by Light. Psalm 119: 130 reveals: “The entrance of the words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” To me, the word simple connotes HUMILITY.

You are on a journey to global relevance that will culminate to you emerging the greater HERO you desire to become in your generation! Simply drop your pride and enjoy the ride to your heroic destiny! The world needs the hero they can believe in. You do not need to be a demi-god to be a hero, you just need to believe that you are one- God gives GRACE to the humble. It’s all within you! You are an embodiment of treasure, please do not call it trash! Dreams comes through, only when you work it out! You can be far better than the exemplars you look up to. Yes! You can be greater!

Thank you all for reading.

Tolulope A. Adegoke is an acclaimed “globalpreneur”, with the mandate to enrich lives and provide the professional, spiritual, academic and leadership empowerment needed to birth, maximize and sustain possibilities in peoples, corporates and nations. He is a prolific writer, frequent keynote speaker and proven spoken word poet, among others, having written countless articles in diverse reputable fields and honoured many public invitations.

He is also a Senior Administrator.

E-mail: adegoketolulope1022@gmail.com

globalstageimpacts@gmail.com

Opinion

Nation Building Reimagined: Integrated Principles and Strategies for Sustainable Growth

Published

22 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Eric

By Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

“True nation building is not the work of the state alone, but a harmonious convergence where empowered peoples provide the foundation, innovative corporates generate the momentum, and visionary institutions ensure direction — together forging sustainable prosperity, social cohesion, and enduring national strength for current and future generations” – Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD

Nation building is a deliberate and continuous process of constructing cohesive, resilient, and prosperous societies capable of realising their full potential. It extends far beyond political structures or state institutions to encompass three interdependent spheres: peoples (individuals and communities), corporates (businesses and private-sector organisations), and nations (governance institutions and the state). When these spheres are strategically aligned through sound principles and practical strategies, they generate all-round exploits — inclusive economic growth, social cohesion, innovation, human flourishing, and global competitiveness.

This comprehensive framework offers actionable guidance for sustaining productive and progressive development. It is grounded in universal principles validated by international development experience, economic history, and governance studies, making it relevant for scholars, policymakers, business leaders, and development practitioners worldwide.

Foundational Principles of Effective Nation Building

Successful nation building rests on six core principles that transcend cultural, geographical, and ideological differences:

Inclusive Human Dignity and Agency — Recognising every citizen as both beneficiary and active architect of national progress through equal opportunity and rights protection.
Institutional Integrity and Rule of Law — Building transparent, accountable institutions that foster trust and predictability.
Economic Dynamism and Shared Prosperity — Promoting broad-based growth that benefits individuals, businesses, and the state simultaneously.
Social Cohesion and Cultural Resilience — Forging unity while respecting diversity to create a shared national identity and purpose.
Adaptive Leadership and Long-Term Vision — Combining strategic foresight with the flexibility to learn and adjust.
Sustainable Resource Stewardship — Balancing present needs with intergenerational equity in environmental and fiscal matters.
These principles provide a universal compass for development, as evidenced by cross-national data from the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators and the UNDP Human Development Reports.

Core Strategies Across the Three Spheres

For Peoples (Individuals and Communities): Nation building begins with empowering citizens. Key strategies include universal access to quality education and skills development, robust health and social protection systems, community-driven development programmes, and targeted initiatives for youth and women empowerment. These efforts enhance social mobility, reduce vulnerability, and foster active civic participation.

For Corporates (Businesses and Private Sector): Corporates serve as the primary engine of wealth creation and innovation. Effective strategies involve creating an enabling business environment, promoting public-private partnerships, enforcing strong corporate governance and ethical standards, and implementing talent development and local content policies. When supported appropriately, the private sector generates jobs, technological advancement, and tax revenues that fuel broader development.

For Nations (State Institutions and Governance): The state provides the overarching framework for progress. Strategies include institutional reform and capacity building, decentralisation for better responsiveness, evidence-based policy making, and strategic regional and global integration. Strong institutions ensure equitable rules, policy continuity, and effective service delivery.

Sustaining Progressive Growth in Nigeria

In Nigeria, this integrated framework offers a practical pathway to convert demographic and natural endowments into sustained prosperity. At the peoples’ level, investments in education, health, and skills development can transform the large youth population into a productive demographic dividend. For corporates, policy predictability, infrastructure development, and public-private partnerships can drive diversification beyond oil into agriculture, manufacturing, and digital services. At the national level, institutional reforms, anti-corruption measures, and evidence-based governance would reduce policy inconsistency and enhance public trust.

When these elements reinforce one another, Nigeria can achieve higher productivity, reduced poverty, greater social cohesion, and improved global competitiveness — creating a virtuous cycle of inclusive growth.

Advancing Development in West Africa

Within the ECOWAS region, the framework supports deeper integration and collective resilience. Strategies for social cohesion help address cross-border challenges such as irregular migration, climate impacts, and youth unemployment. Corporate-focused approaches encourage intra-regional trade and industrialisation through harmonised policies and stronger value chains. Institutional strategies promote policy coordination, joint humanitarian response, and shared security mechanisms.

By applying this model, West African countries can move from fragmented national efforts toward coordinated regional progress, enhancing food security, energy access, and economic competitiveness while building resilience against external shocks.

Driving Continental Transformation in Africa

Across Africa, the principles and strategies align closely with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Sustainable resource stewardship helps convert natural wealth into long-term human and infrastructure investments. The corporate strategies support regional value chains and industrialisation, while institutional reforms strengthen governance and reduce trade barriers.

When implemented continent-wide, this approach fosters inclusive industrialisation, technological advancement, and reduced external dependency — positioning Africa as a major driver of global growth in the 21st century.

Global Relevance and Contribution

On the global stage, the framework provides timely lessons for both developed and developing nations navigating technological disruption, climate change, and rising inequality. The emphasis on shared prosperity and social cohesion offers pathways to mitigate polarisation. The integration of corporates as development partners demonstrates how private-sector innovation can serve public goals. Institutional strategies of adaptive leadership and evidence-based policy making are universally applicable in managing complex transnational challenges.

Nations adopting this model contribute to global stability by reducing conflict drivers, enhancing food and energy security, and participating constructively in multilateral systems. In this way, the framework supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and helps build a more equitable and resilient world order.

Conclusion: A Practical Pathway to Enduring Progress

The principles and strategies of nation building presented here constitute a balanced, interconnected discipline capable of sustaining productive and progressive growth across multiple scales. For Nigeria, they chart a course from potential to performance. For West Africa, they strengthen regional solidarity. For Africa, they accelerate continental transformation. And for the global community, they offer practical wisdom for building fairer, more stable societies.

True nation building succeeds when peoples, corporates, and state institutions reinforce one another in a virtuous cycle. Its greatest strength lies in this holistic integration — recognising that sustainable development requires empowered citizens, innovative enterprises, and effective governance working in harmony.

In an increasingly interdependent world, embracing these principles with consistency, courage, and collective ownership is not merely beneficial but essential. Nations and regions that do so will unlock enduring prosperity, resilience, and a respected place in the global community. The framework provides both the vision and the practical tools needed to turn potential into lasting achievement for current and future generations.

Dr. Tolulope A. Adegoke, AMBP-UN is a globally recognized scholar-practitioner and thought leader at the nexus of security, governance, and strategic leadership. His mission is dedicated to advancing ethical governance, strategic human capital development, and resilient nation-building, and global peace. He can be reached via: tolulopeadegoke01@gmail.com, globalstageimpacts@gmail.com

Opinion

Dear CDS, NSA, Your Prodigal Sons, Brothers Have Killed General Braimah

Published

22 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Almost five months since the yet to be explained killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba, another high ranking military officer, another Brigadier General, has been unlived. He was Brigadier General Oseni Omo Braimah, Commander of 29 Task Force Brigade Operation Hadin Kai, Maiduguri Borno State.

The sadness that followed the brutal killing of the Brigade Commander, can almost be touched, dear Nigerians, with special reference to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and his counterpart, the Chief of Defense Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede. These men, have at separate fora concassed for the kid gloves handling of terrorism activities, and terrorists.

Ribadu, it was, that asked that they be rehabilitated as they are ‘our brothers. Oluyede echoed the stand, saying the terrorists was equated to the biblical prodigal son, and therefore should be received with open hands. This he said to justify his latest ‘Operation Safe Corridor’, designed to welcome ‘repentant’ terrorists and bandits, and have them reintegrated into the society.

It is still these touted same brothers, and prodigal sons that overran a military base in Benisheikh, reportedly killing 18 soldiers including the Brigadier General. According to the Army, however, the number of deaths was overhyped, claiming that only two officers and two other soldiers were killed in the battle they said the military had the upper hand, and auccessfully repelled the assailants and maintained their positions.

Much as the military agreed that they lost four soldiers, they have failed to produce casualties, or even speak on the number, from the terrorists side, in a battle they said they had the upper hand. It’s still had to believe, only that the prodigal sons and brothers snuffed the life of a general, and according to reports, he was caught like a sitting duck.

The prodigal sons with the ‘brothers’ did not stop there; they proceeded to kill Forest Guard Commander and five others in Kwara, just as they mercilessly hacked to death eight members of the same family in Bokkos, Plateau. The list is endless. Of prodigal sons and brothers. Thanks to the NSA and the CDS.

Someone once said that that the only mercy a terrorist or bandit deserve is the mercy of God. And it is the duties of the authority to send them to God for such mercy.

Why do we keep handling merciless killers with kid gloves, and turn around to call them sons and brothers. They in turn, are only looking for opportunity to strike again.

These people have gone from being brothers to becoming animals, very dangerous and ugly beasts that have lost the capacity to show, and so should not be shown any mercy caught.

Dear NSA and CDS, you muat understand that these people have been extremely radicalised, and can no longer fit into the society of sane beings, and therefore, should be put away permanently. We can’t continue to safe corridor to experiment with the lives of Nigerians. No bandit or terrorist is worth rehabilitating, talk less of being integrated into the military. Whoever does that is complicit, and should be treated as an enemy of the Nigerian state.

The NSA and the CDS should begin now to revisit everyone they have ever pardoned or reintegrated into the society for they are part of our problem. They are culpable.

General Uba died saraa, as we say in our local parlance. We should let Braimah die saraa. We must not allow this irresponsibility happen again. I’m not borrowing any words from the president because all his words appear empty, while Nigerians continue in droves, even when the country is not really at war.

Time to jettison this brother, cousin, prodigal son rubbish, and deal decisively with terrorists and bandits.

Opinion

Ovation @30: A Triumph of Vision, Courage and African Excellence

Published

1 day ago

April 11, 2026

Eric

By Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba

There is an African proverb that says, “However long the night, the dawn will surely break.” No story embody this truth more powerfully than that of Chief Dele Momodu and the remarkable rise of Ovation International. Founded in April, 1996 at the height of the Sani Abacha regime, Ovation was born not out of comfort, but from adversity. In forced exile in London, faced with uncertainty and hardship, Momodu chose not to surrender to circumstance but to challenge it, daring to create a global lifestyle magazine at a time when Africa’s image was largely defined by negativity.

From that improbable beginning emerged a publication that would go on to redefine how Africa is seen by the world. Ovation introduced a different narrative, one of elegance, achievement, culture, and pride, documenting African success stories with unmatched consistency. At a time when global media often overlooked the continent’s brilliance, Ovation boldly projected it, celebrating milestones, personalities, and cultures across Africa and its diaspora. It became a powerful cultural bridge, connecting cities and continents while showcasing an Africa that is vibrant, accomplished, and globally relevant.

Over the past three decades, Ovation has not merely reported stories, it has shaped destinies and elevated generations. It has provided a platform for emerging talents in entertainment, business, and public life, often spotlighting individuals long before they attained global recognition. Its influence extended beyond storytelling into economic and social impact, creating employment for thousands across journalism, photography, real estate, design, and event production, while also setting new standards in lifestyle media, enterprenership and event documentation. Long before the rise of digital platforms, Ovation was already global, distributing African excellence to audiences around the world and strengthening the connection between Africa and its diaspora.

Through changing times and technological revolutions, Ovation International has remained consistent in quality, bold in vision, and authentic in purpose. Its ability to evolve without losing its identity is a testament to its strength as not just a magazine, but an enduring institution. Today, as it marks 30 years of impact, it stands as one of Africa’s most influential media platforms, one that has significantly contributed to reshaping global perception and asserting Africa’s place in the world.

This milestone is a celebration of resilience, vision, and legacy. It is a tribute to the pride of Africa Chief Dele Momodu, whose courage transformed hardship into history, and whose dream once considered unrealistic became a continental force. It is also a celebration of the entire Ovation family, whose dedication over the years has sustained and expanded this vision. Thirty years on, Ovation is not just a witness to Africa’s story, it is one of its most powerful storytellers.

A big thank you to Chief Dele Momodu for proving long ago that Africa is not synonymous with bad news, and congratulations on three decades of excellence proof that when the dawn finally comes, it can illuminate the world.

Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba writes from Kano, and can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com